# Margaret Hamilton Dies at 90

> Margaret Hamilton, software pioneer behind Apollo 11 moon landing, dies at 90.
- Title: Margaret Hamilton Dies at 90 · the Guardian | Shortify
- Summary: Margaret Hamilton, software pioneer behind Apollo 11 moon landing, dies at 90. Margaret Hamilton, who developed critical software for Apollo 11, died at 90…
- Keywords: margaret hamilton, apollo 11, mit, presidential medal of freedom, software engineering, moon landing, technology, news, Margaret, Hamilton, Dies, the Guardian
- Source: the Guardian — https://theguardian.com/science/2026/oct/07/margaret-hamilton-moon-computer-software
- Published: 2026-10-08T00:40:37+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: margaret hamilton, apollo 11, mit, presidential medal of freedom, software engineering, moon landing, technology, news
## Margaret Hamilton dies at 90
Margaret Hamilton, the computer pioneer whose software powered the first moon landing, has died, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology announced on Wednesday. She was 90.
## Software pioneer for Apollo 11
In an era before titles such as software engineer and computer scientist became mainstream, Hamilton learned to program under the tutelage of a renowned MIT meteorologist.
## Apollo 11 software crisis
In 1969, minutes before the Apollo 11 spacecraft was set to land on the moon, an onboard computer’s alarm rang, indicating an emergency.
## Software resolved crisis
The software was working just as Hamilton and her team intended. It quickly became clear the software was not only informing everyone that there was a hardware-related problem but was compensating for it.
## Presidential Medal of Freedom
Barack Obama referenced the incident when he presented her with the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2016, saying, 'Our astronauts didn’t have much time, but thankfully they had Margaret Hamilton.'

> Barack Obama referenced the incident when he presented her with the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2016.
## Legacy of innovation
Hamilton is survived by her daughter, a son-in-law, two grandsons and four great grandchildren, according to MIT. She reflected on the mission, saying, 'Looking back, we were the luckiest people in the world; there was no choice but to be pioneers; no time to be beginners.'

> Looking back, we were the luckiest people in the world; there was no choice but to be pioneers; no time to be beginners.
## Key takeaway

Margaret Hamilton, who developed critical software for Apollo 11, died at 90 after a career spanning decades of computing innovation.